Diocese Fires Teacher, Refers Incident To Law Enforcement

BY SARAH HOFIUS HALL, STAFF WRITERFebruary 13, 2019

The Diocese of Scranton has fired an All Saints Academy teacher and referred an unspecified incident to law enforcement.

In a letter sent home with parents on Friday, Jason Morrison, secretary of Catholic education, wrote that the diocese fired William Beechko for violating the diocesan policy relating to “online social networking, texting and personal behavior.”

The diocese learned of the issue on Feb. 6, and immediately suspended Beechko from his teaching job at the West Scranton school. On Feb. 8, following a diocesan investigation, Beechko was terminated, according to the letter obtained by The Times-Tribune.

“Because of his position as a role model, we take his violation of these diocesan policies seriously,” Morrison wrote.

While the diocese cannot discuss specifics, “throughout the entirety of this situation, the safety and security of the students was always our priority,” according to the letter.

The matter was immediately referred to the Lackawanna County District Attorney’s Office for review, according to a statement the diocese released Wednesday. The diocese had no further comment on the issue.

Efforts to reach Beechko were unsuccessful today. Efforts to reach Lackawanna County District Attorney Mark Powell were also unsuccessful.